A peer-led network of wastewater utilities in the Great Lakes region is launching a new initiative focused on Utility Performance Management (UPM) that will be facilitated by Moonshot Missions.
Moonshot Missions, a non-profit collective of water sector peer advisors led by former DC Water chief George Hawkins, said the goal of this initiative is to deliver cleaner water and stronger financial performance by changing how utilities are managed, budgeted and led.
The initiative will be supported by a three-year, $1.1 million award from the Great Lakes Protection Fund. The effort will support small and mid-sized utilities across the Great Lakes Basin by aiming to strengthen core management, operational and financial practices.
The Importance of Effective Knowledge Dissemination in the Water Sector
According to Moonshot Missions, UPM is a a structured, data-informed approach that helps utilities align budgeting, operations, staffing, and capital planning to achieve cleaner water at lower long-term cost.
Through the Great Lakes PRESERVE network, participating utilities will apply UPM to launch at least 15 high-impact projects, unlock operational savings and reinvest those savings into clean water improvements. The efforts will help reduce nutrient pollution and sewer overflows while avoiding long-term infrastructure costs across the region.
“Leading utilities have learned that environmental outcomes can be paired with purposeful efforts to drive efficiencies, reduce costs and the potential to generate new revenues,” said Hawkins, founder and CEO of Moonshot. “We look forward to working side by side with utilities and other experts to develop principles of systems change that will continuously deliver these outcomes for utilities of every size and condition.”
A press release noted that the new effort builds on a previous GLPF-supported project launched by Moonshot Missions in 2022. That effort brought together utilities across Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan to address nutrient reduction, combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and climate-related risks.
The team said it will collaborate with regional and national network organizations to embed the UPM model into conferences, peer networks, and technical assistance offerings — supporting broader adoption across the Great Lakes region and beyond. Resources to support this effort will include a UPM Knowledge Hub hosted on the PRESERVE website, a UPM Replication Playbook, and a set of case studies documenting lessons learned.
Moonshot Missions, a 501(c)(3), partners with utilities to identify, customize, fund and implement strategies to help deliver clean water, improve performance, and reduce costs, with a focus on underserved communities.
Source: Moonshot Missions
Leave a Reply